Memorable Manitobans: Leonard Arthur “Len” Bateman (1919-2019)

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Leonard Arthur Bateman
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Engineer.

Born at Winnipeg on 14 January 1919, son of Arthur Bateman (c1891-1974) and Agnes Mabel “May” Guest (c1891-1969), he attended Kelvin High School, United College, and the University of Manitoba, training first as a mining engineer before switching to electrical engineering, graduating in 1942. He joined the engineering department of Winnipeg Hydro, becoming General Superintendent in charge of generation in 1952. In late 1956, he moved to the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board to establish its planning department. He was appointed one of the first five directors of the newly created Manitoba Hydro, in 1961. He organized the production department responsible for all generation and transmission of electricity. He was its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1972 to December 1978, when he was discharged following a presentation to a committee of the Manitoba Legislature, after which he did private consulting work for more than 25 years.

He was married twice, first on 7 August 1943 to Eileen Elizabeth Campbell (?-1996, sister of Donald John Campbell) with whom he had three children: Gary Leonard Bateman (1947-2009), Donna Maureen Bateman, and Joyce Bateman. He married Mary Chubala Hall (c1928-2016) in June 1998. He served as President of the Association of Professional Engineers of Manitoba (1959), Canadian Electrical Association, and Canadian Society for Senior Engineers (?-2004). In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Order of Manitoba (2003) and Order of Canada (2016), and received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).

He died at Winnipeg on 7 December 2019.

Sources:

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Engagement notices,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 July 1943, page 11.

Birth announcement, Winnipeg Tribune, 23 October 1947, page 45.

Obituary [Agnes M. Bateman], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 April 1969, page 30.

Obituary [Arthur Bateman], Winnipeg Free Press, 17 October 1974, page 39.

“Fraser gets Hydro post,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 January 1979, page 83.

Obituary [Eileen Elizabeth Bateman], Winnipeg Free Press, 27 December 1996, page 35.

“An engineering career in the hydro-electric industry” by Len Bateman, The Engineering Institute of Canada, Working Paper 22/2004 [Heritage Committee, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba]

Obituary [Gary Leonard Bateman], Winnipeg Free Press, 22 April 2009.

Obituary [Mary Bateman], Winnipeg Free Press, 9 April 2016.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 14 December 2019.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 29 December 2019

Memorable Manitobans

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